Alice Walker: Peeling an Essence Essay

As an African-American novelist, short bol peerlessy writer, essayist, poet, critic, and editor, Alice carriages plethora of literary produces examines many aspects of African American look as well as historical issues that are further demonstrable by handcarts unique point of view. Writers like Alice cart make it possible to bring words and emotions to voices and events that are of ecstasy silenced. remote from the traditional image of the artist, she has sought what amounts to a personal relationship with her readers.She has in like manner debaten positions of passionate advocacy, most(prenominal) notably in her campaign against ritual genital mutilation of small wo men, a practice still institutionalized in many parts of the world, as well as the fight for agree rights for African Americans. Her writing has been praised around the world, increasing its pro open up impact on literature, kindly and political areas of American life. Moreoer, pushcarts turbulent child ishness in addition to growing up during an era where African-Americans like herself were combat for freedom, increased her dedication to become both a reflective and subverter author.Alice Malsenior handcart was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia, to Willie Lee and Minnie Tallulah Grant- pedestrian. Like many of pushers fictional characters, she was the daughter of a sharecropper and the youngest of eighter children (Bates, Alice passing player A faultfinding Companion). Alices father had always taken education very seriously in an era where the enlightening of menacing children, especially saturnine females, was very rare. Nevertheless, Willie enrolled his young daughter in school at the age of four where she was then able to skip two grades up to graduation exercise grade due to her intellectual potential (Bates, Alice Walker A vital Companion).Though it may seem like Alices father was unorthodox, Willie was blind to his let sexism. He believed that the traditional role of women was to take care of the house as well as the children. Due to his horizon on the limits of beingness a women, Alices relationship with her father declined over time and was even reflected upon in some of her novels (Bates, Alice Walker A particular Companion). Although Walker did indeed challenge the wisdom of her father, she clung tight to her perplex for pouffe and formed an unbreakable bond.Minnie Walker was Alices gr depleteest support system. She authorise of Alices ebellious ways as a young girl in addition to teaching her life lessons that would be underlying t anes in her quaternate works (Bates, Alice Walker A fine Companion). Walker was a overconfident young girl until 1952, when an accident involving a BB gun left her blind her in one eye. Although her older brother offered to pay for an operation to am windup the impairment, Walker would never fully recover the sight of her right eye. The young Alice Walker would begin wearing glasses for the remainder of her life. The ridicule and bareness that was created from her blindness led Walker into writing her first poetry military mans.She found that writing demanded peace and quiet, alone these were difficult things to come by when ten people lived in four rooms (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). It was then that Walker became secluded and reserved and dreamed of suicide, merely at the same time found solace in writing and became an observer rather than a participator in everyday life. Walker attended discriminate schools which would be described as inferior by current standards, thus far she recalled that she had terrific teachers who encouraged her to believe the world she was reaching for actually existed (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion).Although Walker grew up in a pitiful environment, she was supported by her community and by the knowledge that she could choose her own identity. Moreover, Walker insisted that her mother granted her perm ission to be a writer and gave her the social, spiritual, and moral substance for her stories. Later before attending college, Alice would ask her mother permission to become a professional writer (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). Alice concentrated and studied hard in school.She graduated as valedictorian from her high school and went on to attend the local Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She was greatly influenced by one of her professors there named Howard Zin, who she worked closely with on elegant rights rallies. She became a volunteer for registered voters of Georgia and began attending political rallies for well-bred rights. Zin would in conclusion become an influence for some of Alice Walkers later writing. In 1963, Walker left Spelman for Sarah Lawrence College, a place housing only a handful of African American people, most of them men.This was Walkers predecessor to participating in many civil rights demonstrations and meeting Martin Luther King at his home in recognition of her invitation to the Youth orb Peace feast in Finland (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). 1964 was the turning point for Alice Walker. Realising that she was gravid she contemplated suicide and slept with her razor under her pillow for three nights (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). During the same week, Walker again turned to writing as a natural outlet for her distress. She stopped writing only to eat and sleep.Thankfully, through with(predicate) the help of a friend, Walker was able to attain a safe abortion. The end product of weeks of anguish was, among other things, a accounting entitled To Hell with destruction and with the help of teacher Muriel Ruykeyser this was published in 1965 (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). In the same socio-economic class, she graduated from Lawrence College. subsequently moving to New York City in November of the same year Walker worked for the welfare system. She soon moved back however an d in 1966 skin in love with civil rights lawyer Melvyn Laventhal. They met while working at the Head Start Program in Mississippi.The marriage was extremely arguable as Mel Leventhal was Jewish and Caucasian and Walker was African American (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). The union between the couple was the first good marriage in the state of Mississippi that was inter-racial. In 1968, one year into the marriage, Alice published her poetry collection, Once. This was followed by Mel and Alices birth of their first daughter, Rebecca, scarcely the marriage eventually fell apart under the turmoil and strife of the time period (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion).Alice Walkers writings continued to create discussions and controversy in both the literary and political arenas. Between 1968 and 1971, Alice would be a teacher in the scandalous Studies programs at two different colleges. She spent a year at Jackson State College and another year teaching at Tougaloo C ollege. Alice Walkers writing course would surge in the 1970s with the create of her first novel, The Third spirit of Grange Copeland (Smith, Jessie). The predominant issues and themes of her writings were civil rights based. many of her stories and poems focus on rape, sexism, racism, violence, requisition and relationship problems.It would later be openly announced that Alice Walker had a bi-sexual orientation (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). In 1973, Alice Walker joined Ms. Magazine to publish short stories and poetry. She would as well publish many different articles focusing on the theme of civil rights, animal rights and environmental issues. In 1973, Walker would publish the short story collection, In dearest and hold out Stories of Black Women, and the poem collection, Revolutionary Petunias and separate Poems. Her indorsement novel talked about the life of being an activist in the civil rights and political movements in the South.It is believed that much of Meridian parallels or reflects on Walkers own life. Meridian was published in 1976 and realize Walker much recognition (Smith, Jessie). The focus of the book was accepting ones mistakes and taking full responsibility for our actions. There were no excuses do and people greatly admired and respected Walker for this writing piece (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). Her political venues later turned from the problems of segregation and racism in the South to issues abroad. During her junior year in college, Alice Walker did her internship in Uganda.Her experiences in Uganda led her to stand against female genital mutilation however, the turn of female genital mutilation is still practiced today. During her college years, Alice Walker also visited Cuba on several occasions and would take an open political stand against the Cuban Embargos. Her political and social concerns were not strictly limited to the plight of black women in America but were on a global social and pol itical scale (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). After the issuing of The touch Purple in 1982, Alice Walker would become a coarse name virtually everywhere.The likeness Purple would be turned into a movie and a Broadway play (Smith, Jessie). There was a great hand of controversy over the book because the black culture was shown as patricentric and uncloudeds were shown as sexist and racist. The Color Purple looks head on at the situations and plights of the black woman without the worries of being politically or socially correct. The Color Purple was so superpowerful in character development and insights into issues that it won Alice Walker the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983.It would later also bring forth the American Book Award (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). In 1992, she would o onto write the novel, Possessing My Secret Joy which would feature the characters that were descendants from The Color Purple. The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was certainl y the most distinguished of all her honors and awards but Alice Walker would go on to receive many others. In 1969 she stock the Lillian Award from the National Endowment of the Arts for her earthly concernation of Third Life of Grange Copeland. In 1974, Walker received the Rosanthal Award from the Institute of Arts and garner and the Radcliffe Institute Fellowship for the writing and publication of In Love and Trouble (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion).Even with all of her popularity, Alice Walker went on to write and publish such popular short stories and novels as You abidet Keep a Good Woman Down Stories in 1982, Beauty When the Other Dancer is the Self in 1983, To Hell with Dying in 1988, The Temple of My Familiar in 1989, Finding the Green rock n roll in 1991, and Possessing the Secret of Joy in 1992 (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). Walker continues to publish poetry collections as well. During her battle with Lymes Disease, Walker wrote The equivalent River Twice Honoring the Difficult and a collection of political essays named Anything We Love Can Be Saved a Writers Activism. inwardly three years she has written a further three books, By the Light of My Fathers Smile in 1998, The Way anterior is with a Broken Heart in 2000 and A Long Walk of Freedom in 2001. In light of the tragedy at the World Trade Centre in New York City, she wrote her most recent work Sent by Earth A Message from the Grandmother liveliness After the Bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (Bates, Alice Walker A Critical Companion). Being an African American growing up in the United States during the 1950s was far from easy.There was segregation in most cities and whites fought against any chance of black freedom. However, by the 1950s, African Americans began to mobilize in earnest against discrimination. They lived in the same culture as white Americans and they wanted to enjoy equal rights. From the 1950s through the 1970s, movements for civi l and social rights, equality, and arbiter swept the United States. Mainstream beliefs about the freedom of African Americans were challenged and protesters prompted the government to put in and act on behalf of their equality principles.Activists were prominent in local marches, revolts, and pacifistic protests that placed thousands of people on the national stage of a Continental confrontation. However, people also witnessed major setbacks and difficulties over winning the white mens approval of equal rights. Overtime, with the perserverence and determination of many human rights advocates, African Americans gained greater access to education and a much broader set of career oppurtunities. As for the justice system during the Civil Rights era, the landmark case of cook vs.Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas upheld the activists demand to outlaw segregation in public schools (Brennan). Enacted in 1954, this major case symbolized the official start of the Civil Rights movement. A year after this ruling, the Montgomery Bus Boycott hit headlines across the country. Blacks were tired of giving up their seats to white people and being forced to sit in the back of the bus. It was then that Rosa pose refused to move after the driver ordered her to allow a white man to sit down where she was.This sparked a mode of resistance in which this one-day boycott turned into a year long rebellion. Not one black person rode the Montgomery City Lines for 383 days (Brennan). At first the bus companies did not even press for compromise. Therefore, when they realized that nearly three-fourths of their customers were black, they were already quickly losing money. However, this did not stop organizations like the Montgomery gain Association from planning the next steps of boycott.At this point, popular leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. s well as Ralph Abernathy go to become powerful leaders that would soon dominate the political exposure when it came to question over equ al rights (Brennan). When it came to peaceful protests, activists like King were arrested for their actions but quickly bailed out by their supporters to allow for the continuation of a truelove fight. By 1956, the Montgomery Improvement Association and the National Association for the approach of Colored People(NAACP) attempted to end segregation of the city bus lines through the justice system.After months of legal dispute, the Montgomery City Lines were forced to end its policies on racial segregation on December 20,1956 (Brennan). As a result, the bus boycott ended the following day. Especially in the south, whites believed that any change in the social standings of society would disrupt the power balance between blacks and whites. Ultimately, they believed that if African Americans had any power whatsoever that resembled the whites, they would call it and revolt, trying to dominate southern society. Throughout the decade, black fears heightened as a result of brutal attacks f rom groups like the KKK and other gangs.In this time period, the KKK was experiencing its second resurgence since World War I and the popularity of lynching increased (Brennan). The fell morals of whites who lynched blacks was publicized in newspapers by journalists such as Ida B. Wells, who additionally worked for the Anti-Lynching Bureau (Brennan). It was no surprise that African Americans felt the need to be equal especially after they served in World War II. just about one million blacks served for their country during the 1940s and they believed that America was just as much of their country as it was the whites (Brennan).